A Boston College sports blog capturing the highs and lows of being a BC fan living 1,000 miles from Chestnut Hill.

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Can #decidetofly catch on like #beadude?

Prior to Signing Day, you may have noticed BC Football folks using the hashtag #decidetofly in various social media formats. BC not only had their recruits use the tag, but they also asked BC Football alumni to explain why they decided to fly and how "#decidetofly" has helped them.

Signing Day has come and gone, but #decidetofly is still around. Addazio tweeted it out again Thursday (below) as he shared the team going through offseason conditioning drills. The video is good. The message is good too. I hope it works. If BC can get "Decide to Fly" to actually catch on, it may prove more timeless than "Be a Dude" and applicable to multiple aspects of Boston College, not just Football.

i don't care what catchphrase it is so long as we win 8-9 games next year and Daz suddenly stops being Daz on the sideline (freaking out routinely, freezing at the critical moments). ATL - you seem to have come around on Daz - what gives?

also, is Bates gone yet? Daz and Christian are a combined 16-64 in the ACC, good for a 20% winning percentage.

This is where these clowns are way off base. The University already has a mission statement and it works pretty well. They only need one hashtag: #EverToExcel. Says everything you need to know about why you want to become part of the BC community. There should be no need to market the football program separately.

Not sure why Father Leahy and administration is not reminding them of this. Sadly, our AD and football HC have proven that they do not embody this ideal and do not get it.

@ Yeaster - what a sad life you lead, creating two accounts to troll BC fans on ATL's blog. as i post this i bet you are hurriedly logging out of YEASTER and into the other account to post a similar snarky yet 0/10 on the funny scale post. we've lost 80% of conference games in the last 4 years - what did we do to deserve you? get lost, swine.

OK - had a minute to watch this video.1) I am personally offended by this IRENE trolling. Daz you are not in a war. Stop equating wintercworkouts to defending this country. SEALs are best at what they do. You are not even close. My father was a Marine captain. There is no way I would ever presume playing a game is equal to our armed forces. #getaf'nlife2) is the general strategy to come up with enough stupid hashtags hoping one sticks?3)I am left thinking where is the coaching equivalent video? They have screwed up way more than the players ever have. I remind you of Daz (not even coaching the game) stuffing his face with pizza and chips on ESPN...."Do you take the shot here? It's only the National CHampionship game"4) the longer DAz is here the more he shows what an absolute moron he is. BC will never win with him as HC5) CY is correct. We suck currently6) I wish they put this effort into winning games. As Al Davis said "Just win baby". Everything else is just crap

Max - agree with you 100% . how dare Daz equate himself with US marines in combat. Almost feels like stolen valor. low.

Here is an explanation of "Irene" i found somewhere

"Irene" was the go-signal for a raid to capture a Somali warlord in the dangerous heart of Mogadishu. To all airborne helicopters and ground elements, the command center radioed: "All units Irene. I say again, Irene."

NOTE; DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS... LIKE ANY PEST, TAKE AWAY THEIR FOOD - RESPONSES TO THEM AR ETHE FOOD THEY CRAVE - AND THEY WILL LEAVE. ESPECIALLY KNUCKLEHEAD STFU.

Hopefully, Father Red Head and the Fish Man have the sense to right the sinking ship. TC went to Jacksonville but he still has a phone on his desk. Bates needs to be replaced in June when his contract expires with someone who knows how to evaluate a football program. The Dazzler is on life support and everyone knows it. He will be evaluated on how the team does in the first half of the season. If he fails, he will be gone by Thanksgiving. He will sink or swim with Brown or Wade and probably Brown. This will be R-R-P-Punt just like the last four years. Brown is seen as another Murphy. Once again, there will be nine man fronts. Redundant seems to be the word for 2.6 million per with that three year extension plus a "loan" for 150K. The Administration backs him and likes him. So, what's a realist to do?

I just have so little hope that changes get made in hoops and football and even if they were, that the person or committee hires the right guy. So what is the point? We are rewarding mediocrity, at best, in football and not sure what for hoops. I'd like to think we have made progress in hoops and we are, but is it progress that makes us better but still so far from the tourney? I had hoped by the end of year 3 we would at least be an NIT Team and my opinion, which many will have issue with, is that for a power 5 team you should at least be in the discussion for an overall .500 record and the NIT every season. As for football, let 2017 be the final judge jury and executioner. A full recruiting cycle is here. A tougher schedule. No excuses. Daz even said it himself, year 5 was the year, and not to just go to the Detroit Bowl, to compete for the ACC Division title. Trust me fellas, that ain't gonna happen. It just seems hopeless. Lets hope Jerry can sweep Vermont this weekend.

Sorry, maybe I am old school, but "Ever to Excel" is the school motto -- and it represents an ideal that the University hopes to instill in every student upon graduation, whether they compete in athletics or not. It may not be cheesy or catchy, but it stands for something that tens of thousands of Boston College graduates embody on a daily basis, no matter what they do in life. Given the broader accomplishments by those that live by it, I'd say it serves the University community well.

Btw, it's the same motto we had when athletes like Luke Kuechly, Damien Woody, Matthias Kiwanuka, Andre Williams and Matt Ryan went to BC. Look at what they (and other less recognized athletes, I might add) have achieved and how they represent our community post graduation.

If we had strong leadership at the AD and HC position that embodied the ideal of "Ever to Excel", we wouldn't need to resort to what has become a clown show to catch the eye of recruits. Like many other schools with strong academics and athletics, the excellence on the field and commitment to development of our athletes would match what they get in the classroom. Right now, we have a guy with a losing record posting videos of himself dropping paper clips and talking about eating pizza.... #NotMyHC

bceagle93 - you are absolutely correct in your comments. Trying to develop these moronic , sophomoric hashtags is indicative of the mentality of our head coach. He just does not get it !!! "Ever to Excel" is ageless !!! Obviously, our recruiting efforts have not been enhanced by these foolish hashtags. I can not wait until he disappears from Chestnut Hill !!!!!!

I feel sorry for everyone who thinks that "Ever to Excel" Does not cut it. It serves athletics and academics alike. It is a proud message from a proud college. Anything else is just carnival clownship. BC proud with no apology. Anything else is second best.

I think some people are confusing the school motto Ever to Excel with a hash tag that is specific to football recruiting in Decide to Fly. The football hash tag is a convenient way for twitter users to check in on the updates to BC football recruiting. The school motto hash tag speaks broadly to all aspects of the school: academics, athletics, students, community, etc.

I think the two hash tags can co-exist and serve their respective purposes. I don't disagree with the comments about other tags used by Daz which seem to be publicity stunts and take away from the professionalism that one expects from a head coach. That said, I'm sure that his intent is to motivate his players and recruits with less concern about what others think.

If Daz & Bates had shown they were excellent representatives of the University & our motto, I'd be fine with whatever campaigns they felt they needed to put together to woo football recruits. But there's a difference when maybe Dabo Swinney or Jim Harbaugh does it and Daz does it. For us, it's now a clown show, plain and simple.